M. Stryikowskio veikalo Kronika Polska, Litewska, Żmódzka i wszystkiej Rusi teonimai: Chaurirari
Theonyms in M. Stryikowski’s work Kronika Polska, Litewska, Żmódzka wszystkiej Rusi: Chaurirari

Summary/Abstract: The study deals with the topics of etymological analysis and brief nascence (consequently, a hierarchical position in the Baltic pantheon) of the theonym Chaurirari mentioned in Maciej Stryikowski’s work Kronika Polska, Litewska, Żmódzka i wszystkiej Rusi (1582). The one and only scientific examination of the issue was carried out by Vladimir Toporov. It must be stated with many regrets that tatpuruṣa composite Lith. *Kaur-aris ‘tawny tint (element of fire symbolism) horse deity’, reconstructed by the author of the hypothesis, is not acceptable due to reconstruction motivation of unauthenticated (in any written source of Baltic mythology and religion) Balt. *aris ‘horse’. Providing that non-existence of a horse-deity cult in Baltic and Slavic religious systems, save totemic vestiges, such an interpretation is doubtful in relation to mythological motivation. Being based on the new theonym etymology and analysis of the deity functions, a proposition has been made that Chaurirari could not be interpreted as ἅπαξ λεγόμενον. The lexeme may be correlated with nomen proprium (theonym) Kaukarius ‘ghats God’, which is mentioned in several Lithuania Minor lexicographical lexicons of the 18th century (Brodowski’s and Milke’s thesauruses).

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